Planting-machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' W. E; CHBESEMAN. r PLANTING MACHINE.

10.570,905. Patented Nov. 1o, 1896l Q 5/ 4f J3.. y Q v 5,3 l /l A 9,: .57 Q i... I4?

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W'. E. GHEBSEMAN.

'PLANTING MACHINE.

l `UN1TED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM E. OHEESEMAN, OF MONROE, NEV JERSEY.

PLANTING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,905, dated November 10, 1896.

Application led January 3 OI 1 8 96.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. CHEESEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Monroe, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Planting-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the gures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

Y My invention relates to a planting-machine adapted by meansof ready adjustments for use in planting potatoes or onions, and also for setting plants of any size or growth.

The primary object of the invention is to combine in a single hand machine of simple construction the functions of a plurality of separate machines; and to this end the invention consists in the features of construction hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and defined in the appended claims. In the drawings, Figure lis a sectional elevation of the machine'equipped as a plantsetter. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the same with the plant, springs, plow, and covering-rollers removed. Fig. 3 is a view of the onion-planting attachment detached from the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating the plow and coverers. Fig. 5 is a View of the plantholding device detached. Fig 6 illustrates in detail the reversible clamps for engaging the sets. Fig. 7 is a view,` partly in section and partly in plan, showing the application of the onion-planting devices. to the machine; and Figs. 8, 9, and 10 illustrate parts in detail.

The frame of the machine comprises a beam or tongue 1, axle A2, and carrying-wheels 3 and 4. The beam 1 is bent upwardly at the point 5 and again at the point 6, and is provided with a depending hanger 7, forked at its lower end S to support a shaft for the beveled covering-rollers 9 andl 10, and with a Y handle-bar ll.

'Projecting laterally from the beams 1 at about the point 5 isa shaft 12, supported at one end in a bearing 13 on the beamV andi at its ,opposite end in a bearing 14 of a bracket 15, secured to the beam 1 and braced thereto' Serial No. 577,370. (No model.)

by a brace 1G. A sprocket-wheel17 is mounted upon the shaft 12in vertical alinement with a sprocket-pinion 1S, mounted upon a studjournal 19 on the beam, and around these wheels 17 and 18 passes an endless sprocketchain 20, provided at equidistant pointswith needles or prongs 21 and serving as the carrying-belt for the potatoes, dac.

Upon the axle 2 is arranged a revoluble sleeve 22, provided at its outer end with a ratchet-wheel 23 and at its inner end with a flanged hub 24, both of which revolve with the sleeve, as will be further explained. Opposite the hub 24 upon the axle 2 is arranged a similar flanged hub 25, the front end 2G of the beam being cut away to accommodate the flange of the hub 25, as shown. Astationary sleeve 27 is secured upon the axle between the beam l and the adjacent wheel 4.

A sprocket-wheel 2S is mounted upon the sleeve 22 and is connected by a sprocketchain 29 with a sprocket-wheel 30, mounted upon the shaft 12, concentric with the wheel 17, to revolve the carrying-belt 2O from the sleeve 22. A spring-pawl 3l, projecting from` the wheel 3, engages the ratchet-wheel 23 0E the the sleeve 22 when the machine is traveling forward and revolves the sleeve and through it the carrying-belt.

A bracket 32 proj ectslforward from the front end of the beam l, to which the plow 33 is adjustably secured by an arm 34, the bracket, arm, and plow-standard each being formed with a series of bolt-holes 35 to permit varied adjustments of the plow.

n Secured to radial openings 36 in the hubs 24 and 25 are a series of springs 37 and 38, arranged in pairs, as shown. From each of the springs 37 project a lug or arm 39, adapted to take into openings 40 in the opposite springs to revolve the latter and the hub 25, to which they are secured. The ends of the springs 37 and 3S are provided with clamps 41,adapted to receive and discharge the sets from the carrying-belt 20. Each clamp -consists of a flat roughened plate 42 and a concavo-convex plate 43, connected together, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to be reversibly attached to the ends of the springs and oppositely disposed in pairs, as shown.

A- curved rod or spreader 44 is secured to the axle centrally by arms 45 and46. in the IOS) line of travel of the radially-disposed springs, the latter being bent at the points 47 to permit the spreader` to pass between them.

A box 48 is provided near the handle-bar of the beam l to contain the sets to be planted, and I preferably provide said box with a hinged or removable side 49 and pivot the box at its front side, so that it may be carried in either of the positions shown by full and dotted lines in Fig. l.

The operation of the mechanism thus described is as follows: The machine is pushed by hand, thus lopening the ground by means of the plow, (the iield having been previously prepared by plowing.) Potatoes are fed by hand and impaled upon the needles 2l, and carried forward and downward by the belt 20, the revolution of the wheel 3 effecting the movement of the belt through the sleeve 22 and gearing 23, 29, and 30. The revolution of the sleeve 22 causes the pairs of radial springs 37 and 3S to revolve with their hubs 24 and 25, and as each pair reaches the lower end of the spreader 44 the latter spreads the springs apart. As each pair of springs reaches and passes the upper end of the spreader 44 their resiliency draws them together to engage a potato between their clamping ends. The relative location of the prongs or needles 21 and the clamps 4l being such that as the members of each pair of clamps approach each other after leaving the spreader a potato will be presented to them, as will be readily understood. The potato thus held is carried around in front of the axle 1 and discharged by the farther spreading of the springs by the lower end of the spreader 44 in position to be covered by the scrapers V V1 and the rollers 9 and 10. These rollers are oppositely beveled, as shown in Fig. 4, so that they maybe adjusted to form either a ridge or depression, as desired, depending upon the character of the set being planted.'

If it is desired to set out plants, I employ a spring holder of the form shown in Fig. 5,

. plant.

consisting of a spring bent at the point 50 to embrace the projections on the belt 2O and having forked parallel arms 5l to engage the plants, as shown. Instead of employing the flat faces of the clamps 42 in this instance I reverse the clamps, so that their concave or spring surfaces will embrace the I preferably provide these concave surfaces with a rubber or other yielding bearing-face to avoid injury to the plants. The open side in the box 48 permits the plants to extend beyond the width of the box,and thus plants of different length or height may be handled. By hingin g the box 48 I am enabled to lower it to a horizontal position when desired and thus to increase its carrying capacity, as the potatoes may be piled above the top edge of the box when it is in a hori- Zontal position.

For planting onions I employ a special form of discharging device different from that shown in Figs. l and 2. I have illustrated this device in Figs. 3 and 7. It consists of a series of pairs of radial springs 52, secured to a central hub or band 53, adapted to be removably clamped upon the center of the axle l. To utilize this planting device, I :first remove the springs 37 and 38 and their clamps 4l. I form the two parts of the onion-planter, including their bands 53, in segments, and turning the machine upon its side iirmly bolt the segments upon the hubs 24 and 25. It is also necessary in this instance to shorten the spreader 44, and for this purpose I make both ends 54 thereof separately and adjustable by means of bolts 55, passing through elongated slots in the ends. The two sections of the onion-planter are held together by springs 56.

The onions are placed upon the prongs or needles 2l on their sides, top downward, and when released by the spreader are in upright position, and thus thrust into the soft earth, being left standing by the sudden parting of the clamps. The outer ends of the springs 52 are provided with clamping disks or lingers 57, as shown.

It will be apparent that when the machine is drawn by the beam-handle, instead of being pushed, the gearing will be inoperative, since the spring-pawl l31 will slide over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 23 without revolving the latter.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a planter, the combination with the axle and traveling belt-carrier, of a revoluble sleeve on the axle, a pair of revoluble hubs, series of radiallyarranged springs on said hubs, clamps on the ends of said springs, and a spreader for separating the springs, sub stantially as described.

2. The combination with the frame, of a sleeve on the axle provided with a ratchetwheel and a hub, a second revoluble hub on the axle, pairs of springs radially arranged on said hubs and provided with clamping devices, means for engaging the members of each pair of sprin gs, a spreader for the springs, and an endless carrier provided with prongs or needles, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the frame comprising the bent beam, axle and wheels, of the plow and coverers, a pair of revoluble hubs on the axle, pairs of springs provided with clamps to engage the set, a spreader, and an endless carrier provided with equidistant prongs or needles coinciding with the clamps of the springs, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination with the endless carrier, springs and spreader, of set-grasping devices consisting of oppositely-arranged reversible plates 42 and 43, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the endless carrier and'spreader provided with adjustable ends, of a removable planting device compris- IOO IIO

ing tWo sections of radially-disposed springalms secured to a central hub or band, and provided with clamps for grasping the sets, substantially as described 6. The combination with the axle and its adjustable curved spreader, of the endless carrier and the sectional onion-planter oomprising hubs or bands 53, arms or rods 52,

springs 56 and clamps 57, all lremovably secured upon the hubs 24 and 25, substantially 1o VILLIAM E. CHEESEMA.

Witnesses ARTHUR M. J ENNINGs, LUTHER R. CHEESEMAN. 

